The article demonstrates changes occurring within the social and economic structure of South Korea but points out there is much unrecognized domestic violence in the country. There appears to remain a generally high tolerance of violence within South Korean society that extends to tolerance of wife abuse. The article discusses patterns and theoretical explanations of wife abuse, including women's very limited participation in the work force and men's related burden of responsibility as wage earners, Confucian beliefs about men's and women's status in the family, related patriarchal beliefs about men's authority in family matters and the consequences of divorce for women. The women's movement is pressing for stronger legal prohibition of wife abuse. However, the importance of maintaining the marriage for ensuring children's quality of life and mothers' full involvement with their children appears to be a critical pressure keeping women with abusive men. Tables, notes, references